Garment contour attachment for wire hangers



Aug 24, 1965 R. HAWKINS 3,202,330

GARMENT CONTOUR ATTACHMENT FOR WIRE HANGERS Filed March 11, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet l Hrw/ENTER RAY HAWKINS ATTDRNEY Aug. 24, 1965 Filed March ll, 1963 R. HAWKINS 3,202,330

GARMENT CONTOUR ATTACHMENT FOR WIRE HANGERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HNVENTDR RAY HAM/INE m4) -[EY AT-m l2 NEY United States Patent 3,202,330 GAE-WENT CUNTGUR ATTACHMENT FOR WERE HANGERS Ray Hawkins, 666 N. Riley Ave., Indianapolis 1, Ind. Filed itt/lar. ll, 1963, Ser. No. y264,352 1 'ClainL (Cl. 223-98) This invention relates to a device preferably made out of cardboard or sheet plastic material Ias may be desired, so shaped in blank form as to Vpermit downwardly folding of wings from central lands which will lie over the arms of the garment hangers, and which will assume a shape upon being folded wherein the wings will extend diverging outwardly from the central lands so as to provide a form to support the neck and shoulders of the garments with considerable lateral pressure.

The invention involves not only a peculiar shape of the blank form, but means for interlocking a pair of wings on one side of the attachment so as to maintain the outwardly extending positions of the wings and secure them in diverging, downwardly directed arrangements to be supported centrally by the wire hanger and still have the wings extend therefrom.

The primary object of the invention is to provide ya very simple yet most elective structure for the provision of considerable width in a support so as to tit within a garment and support the collar of the neck portion and the shoulders in a normally desired condition wherein there will be space between the back and front of the garment below the wire hanger.

A further important object of the invention is to provide means for maintaining -a laterally spread apart arrangement of the device to give the support above indicated.

A still further important object of the invention is to provide an interlocking means between the central end portions of a pair of wings on one side of the hanger in a very simple and yet effective manner without having to apply any other elements than may be formed in the blank itself.

Another important object of the invention resides in the fact that the attachment has a widened portion presented under the shoulders of the garment with a narrowing land leading therefrom and then expanding into the central portion of the attachment.

These and many other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those versed in the art in the following description of one particular form, in which the various above indicated objects are incorporated all as shown in the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. l is a view in top plan of a blank formed and. incorporating the invention;

FIG. 2 is a detail of a wing interlocking mechanism in side elevation;

p FIG. 3 is a detail in top plan of the interlocking mechanism in securing position;

FIG. 4 is a View in section on the line 4-4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view in top perspective of the attachment as applied to a wire garment hanger; and

FIG. 6 is a detail in top plan illustrating the method ofv closing the attachment about the central vertically extending Shanks of the hook of the garment hanger.

Referring to FIG. l, a flat blank generally indicated by the numeral 1i) is formed to have two arms 11 andlZ ice symmetrically shaped but one turned opposite to the other. These arms 11 and 12 extend from a central zone at an obtuse angle, and are centered on the lines 13-14 and 14-15.

The arm 11 has an edge contour line 16 extending therearound at an increasing distance from the center line 13-14 to an arcuate zone 18, merging through that arcuate zone 18 into the edge 19 of the arm 12 and then continuing at a decreasing distance from the line 14-15.

On the opposite side of the blank 10, there are the two portions 20 and 21 of the arms 11 and 12 having substantially the same area on `the opposite sides of the lines 13-14 and 14-15, and while they may terminate in outer straight edges, they are herein shown as having a more or less irregularly curved edge 22 in each instance. However, these edges 22 are more or less centrally separated to have a cutaway portion of the blank lil entering into and generally decreasing in extent to a point 23 past the intersection of the center lines 13-14 and 14-15, this intersection being designated by the numeral 14. A straight line 24 is cut from the point 23 substantially at right angles to the center line 13-14, this line 24 extending to a point 25 on the side of the line 13-14 opposite to the side on which the point 23 is located. The line 24 has an opening 26 enteringA therein preferably with a radiused end, this opening having a width slightly larger than the diameter of the wire garment hanger to which the device is to be applied.

From the point 25, the arm portion 20 extends in a straight line 27 at .an obtuse angle to the line 23-25 as designated by the numeral 24 to the edge 22 at the zone 28 where the line 27 merges through a radius 29 interconnecting the line 27 and the edge 22.

On the opposite side of this opening generally designated by the numeral 3G a line 31 extends from the point 23 at an angle of approximately forty-live degrees to a point 32. These lines 24 and 31 are equally spaced from a line which may be drawn through the points 23 and 24. The line 31 has a notch 33 entering therein opposite the notch 26. From the point 32, an edge line- 32a extends divergingly to the right, FIG. l, to a point 34.. This point 34 is located by a juncture with the semicircular line 35, the center of curvature of which is at the point 36. This line 35 is in fact a semicircular line defining a primary tab the other end of which terminates at the point 37 from which there is a short edge line 38 extending to merge through a radius 39 into the edge 32.

There is a semicircular line 4d dening a slit through the arm 21, the center of which is at the point 36, this semicircular line 40 defines a secondary tab 65a being described on the opposite side of a line which may be drawn between the points 34 and 37 from the` line 35 on the otherside of that theoretical line. This line, if drawn,

would be a diametrical line for both of these semicircular lines 35 and 443, the line being in common to both semicircles. In the arm 20, located on a line which would be drawn from a point 24 through the point 25 and on to intercept the edge 22, is a slot 42 cut through the material, .the end 42a of this slot being located a distance from the point 24 `approximately equal to the distance from the point 24 to the point 34. The length of the slot 42 from this point 42ais approximately equal to the distance between the point 34 and the point 37 on the other arm 21. From one side of the slot 42herein shown as on the left hand side as viewed in FIG. 1, the material is cut away to have a semicircular margin line 43, the radius of curvature of which is substantially equal to the radius of the curvature of the line 40.

Still lreferring to FIG. l, the blank il@ is scored or perforated along the lines 44, 45 in the arm 11 and the lines 46, 4'7 in the arm l2. These lines 44 and 45 start from the points 23 and 25 and converge one toward the other to a narrow zone 48, and then from this zone 48, they diverge outwardly one from the other to the points 49 and 5th at the extreme outer edge 5I which is approximately a straight line merging by its ends through curved portions into the respective edges 16 and 22, the curved zone 17 of the line I6 and the curved zone 52 of the ,edge 22 aerossthe end 51. Then the arm 12 is similarly scored or perforated by the line 46 extending from the point 23 and the line 47 extending from the point 32. converging one toward the other to a zone 53 and thence diverging outwardly to the points 54 and 5S at respective ends of a more or less straight line 56 across the end of the arm 12, this line 56 merging through the Curved Vz ones 57 into the edge 19 and 58 into the edge 22.

The structure so far described in the blank form is in that form which is supplied to the trade. The trade will .then set up the form from this blank which is to be applied'to the wire hanger 60, FIG. 5.

In setting up the form into its applied to the hanger condition, the arm portions lll and 12 are bent downwardly along the lines 44 and 46 with the axis lines 13--I4 and 14-15, brought around into substantially the same vertical plane. Likewise the arm portions 2t) and 2l' are bent downwardly from their respective lines 45 and47. The hook 6l of thel hanger 6@ is brought up to VbeA above the panels 62 and 63 which constitute the surfaces lying between the lines 44 and 45 and 46, 47 respectively. AThe two arms Il and I2 are then tied together to maintain the center lines 13, 14 and t4, l5 in the same plane by bringing the portion 64 around under theftab 65 bounded by the arcuate edge 35, and this tab 6.35 is bent downwardly along the line between the points `34 and 37 and inserted downwardly through the yslot 42 lo bring the underside of the arm portion 21 on top of the portion 64, and then the tabv 65 is bent around under .the portion 64, FIG. 2, and the arcuate portion 65a is carried'in substantially the same plane therewith, and 4upon the tab 465 being brought up against the underside of the portion 64, this arcuate portion, 65a is pushed Vdown into the cutout portion 43. While this portion may be allowed to remain in frictional, compressive engagement by'its margin with the margin of the semicircular portion 43, preferably it is pushed on down therethrough to permit it to spring back slightly under the arm portion 20 as best indicated in FIG. 3. Here this part which has' sprung back is indicated by dash lines, in each instance asrelating to the tab 65 and the semicircular portion 65a.

i In so interlocking these ends of the arm portions 20 and 2l, the shank 66 of the hanger 6d is tted between the ,openings 26 and 33 to maintain the overall attachment now referred to in its set up form by the numeral 67. In this form, the panels 62 and 63 are centered over the wire hanger e@ by resting on the arms 68 and 69 respectively of the narrow zones 48 and 53 of the panels 62 and 63, but the primary purpose is to induce fan outwardly daring of the arms from these panels by reason of the generally curved lines 44 on one side and 45 on the other of the one arm Il and the lines 46, 47 of the arm This produces a curved formation in the zone 79 at the central part of the attachment on the one side and 71 on the other side causing the portions to flare outwardly from the wire hanger 60 in each instance to give support to the upper neck portion of the garment to be supported, and to resist inwardly collapsing of these zones one ltoward the other. At the same time, the outwardly flaring ends of the lines 44 and 45 and 46 and 47 further causeA a'curavature to maintain these side portions Cir CFI

in their outwardly extending positions, in addition to causing them to maintain their substantially planar conditions and thus give a wider support under the shoulders of the garment.

In other words, the peculiar formation of the blank 10 provides for the outwardly flaring sides of the attachment with ample support to maintain that dare in addition to maintain the rounded effects through the Zones 7@ and 71.

The inner securing means as set up in the Structure shown in FIGS. 1 4, give a very quick, easy and durable fixation of the parts in their shapes as above described. This construction which may be termed a latching means is unique in itself. In this respect, it is to be noted that the panels 43 and 53 by their end lines 24 and 3l are brought up snugly one against the other, or as is shown in FIG. 5, with a slight overlapping, so as to maintain the attachment in centered position on the hanger 60, and also permits the underlapping of the portion 64 of the arm portion 21 adjacent to and to the right of the tab 65. In this regard, the portion 64 may be provided with a score or perforated line 74, FIG. l, to aid in its shaping to the curvature of the portion 23 in that zone. The folding of the tab on the line 3ft-37 gives ample connection between it and the portion 21 on each side of the semicircularportion 65a without tendency to tear in making the interconnection, that is in arriving at the latched condition. Y

Therefore it is to be seen that I have provided a very effective device for supplying a widened and better support for a garment in conjunction with the use of the ordinary wire hanger. While I have herein shown and described my invention in the one particular form as now best known to me, it is obvious that the invention may assume` forms varied in shapes and minor details from this particular form, and I therefore do not desire to be limited to that precise form beyond the limitations which may be imposed by the following claim.

I claim: For a` garment hanger having a central, upstanding hook shank and a pair of arms each sloping downwardly from opposite sides ofthe shank, a garment contour attachment adapted to be placed over and to rest on said hanger arms, the attachment being made out of a stiif, bendable material'and comprising a pair of panels, each extending oppositely from approximate abutment along a panel transverse line;

each of said panels having an opposing opening entering therein from said transverse line to receive said hanger shank therebetween;

arms extending outwardly and downwardly from opposite sides of said panels, the arm on one panel side being continuous throughout the combined panel lengths, and the arm on the other panel side being divided by having separate end portions extending from said transverse line;

one of said arm end portions underlapping the other when in set-up condition;

an approximately semi-circular primary tab hinged along and extending from said other arm end portion;

a secondary, approximately semicircular tab of smaller area than'that of said primary tab extending'freely into said other arm end portion; said-underlying arm end portion having a slot there-V through approximately at `the edge of the overlap'- ping arm edge portion and having a length substantially equal to the diametrical width of said primary tab and further having a semi-circular cutout opening of an area equal to that of said secondary tab extending centrally from that side of said slot farthest removed from said overlapping arm edge;

said primary tab extending through said slot and around under said arm underlapping end portion;

5 6 said secondary tab entering with a tight t into said 2,299,977 10/42 Guyer 223-87 cut-out; and 2,383,819 8/45 R-onning 223-87 said slot and cut-out being located in reference to said 2,827,221 3/ 58 Vines 229-39 other arm edge to cause said continuous arm to bow 2,872,091 2/ 59 Troden 223-98 away from said panels on the one side, and the two 5 3,03 3,430 5/ 62 Zintel 223-98 arm portions to bow from the other panel sides.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. References Cited by le Examme DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,025,201 12/35 Graham 217-3 10 2,054,654 9/36 Friedman 223-98 

